Mojtaba Khamenei aspires to a nuclear warhead; Iran has moved ground forces to the 'Mount of Sorcery'

The Supreme Leader of Iran, Mojtaba Khamenei, is much more interested in obtaining nuclear weapons than his father. This was reported this evening (Friday) by The New York Times, citing officials familiar with US intelligence assessments.

Mojtaba has never publicly called for building nuclear weapons, but US intelligence believes that, unlike his father, he and the hawkish regime figures who have risen in Iran in recent months have aspirations for nuclear weapons. Khamenei the elder issued a fatwa — a religious ruling — against nuclear weapons in the 1990s. In Israel, it was claimed before Operation 'Like a Lion' that Iran had advanced toward nuclear weapons, and therefore they went to war.

The sources who spoke with The Times qualified this by saying that most of the intelligence on Mojtaba's positions comes from the period before the war. He was wounded in the Israeli strike on his father's compound on February 28, and has not been seen or heard from since. The intelligence is based on public statements and conversations from the period before the war.

Mojtaba, according to US intelligence, does not share his father's hesitation and aspires to obtain nuclear weapons. At the end of the Biden administration, there were reports that Iran was planning to obtain an 'asset' in the form of a bomb — which is difficult to launch on a missile, but could provide a certain level of deterrence. However, Khamenei the younger, it is claimed, sees less utility in that type of weapon and aspires to obtain a warhead that could eventually be miniaturized and mounted on a long-range missile.

In the memorandum of understanding between the US and Iran, signed by President Donald Trump and President Pezeshkian, it was written that 'the Islamic Republic of Iran reaffirms that it will not acquire or develop nuclear weapons.' However, since then, both sides have violated the agreement and blamed each other. Khamenei, in a statement released after the agreement, said he approved it but did not agree with it as a 'matter of principle.'

The American assessment comes at a tense time: President Donald Trump convened his senior administration officials this evening to discuss escalating the military campaign against Iran. The New York Times wrote that a determination that the Supreme Leader is open to obtaining a nuclear bomb could provide further justification for escalation.

Iran, according to The Wall Street Journal, has concentrated centrifuges in the fortified underground complex known as 'Mount of Sorcery.' According to the report, Israel has been tracking the transfer of the centrifuges. In the US, there were those who assessed that this was an Iranian attempt to preserve some of the nuclear equipment out of range of American bombing. Iran, according to the report, examined after the bombings in Fordow the depth to which American bombs could penetrate, and therefore chose to move the centrifuges to the 'Mount of Sorcery' at great depth. US intelligence agencies warned that due to fears of a commando operation at the site, Iran has moved ground forces.

The Wall Street Journal reported this evening, citing a senior US administration official, that US President Donald Trump is skeptical of diplomacy and is in a 'state of revenge.' According to a person familiar with the details, during a meeting held recently at the White House, Trump attacked Iranian officials, calling them 'scum' and 'crazy.' According to administration officials and others close to the president, Trump is frustrated that the conflict — which he thought would end within weeks — is continuing without an end in sight.

Some of Trump's advisors, it was reported, are now worried that the war — which has led to rising prices, declining support rates, and the deaths of American military personnel — is hurting the already slim chances of the Republicans in the upcoming midterm elections. Although Trump has been trying to slow the war for months, in recent days he has been doubting the possibility that negotiations with Iran will lead to peace. A senior administration official said that Trump believes the only thing Iran understands is military force, and therefore he sees few good options other than continuing the strikes. In fact, the longer the war continues, the less Trump believes in the diplomatic possibility of ending it. According to sources familiar with the details, in conversations with his advisors, Trump complained that it is difficult to know who is speaking on behalf of the senior leadership in Iran, and that every time the US thinks it has made progress at the negotiating table, Iran continues its attacks.